Abstract Images of Untouched Nature Distorted by Fire

Using the theme of "Water and Oil" with consideration to the large BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Chicago-based photographer Peter Hoffman created a series of abstract photos that questions our relationship with our natural resources. Titled "Fox River Derivatives", the project is part of a larger experiment that utilizes water and gasoline in the actual image-making process. Hoffman shot the photos on medium format film, after which he coated the negatives with gasoline and set them on fire for a few seconds before pouring water over them. He explains, "I wanted to transfer that feeling I had, which was maybe something like a sense of powerlessness or dread, to the image making process. I wanted to lose control, having the resulting work border on ceasing to exist in any recognizable form."